What is the difference between gold plated and gold filled wire?
Gold-plated wire is made by an electro-chemical process. A wire of a conductive material (copper or silver) is placed in a liquid solution containing a chemical salt that includes gold. When a current is applied between the wire to be plated and another electrode, the gold in the salt is deposited onto the wire. In General, because of the method employed in the plating process, the actual gold plated onto the wire is very thin. A surface scratch will pierce the gold-plating and show the base wire underneath. For this reason, gold-plated wire does not stand up to wear and tear and is not appropriate for rings or bracelets. The manufacturing process for making gold-filled wire is a mechanical process and not a chemical process. In making gold-filled wire, a thin wire of gold alloy is physically squeezed around a larger wire of gold colored metal. Since gold is easily bendable, this can be done easily and with precision. The end result is a wire with the outside of gold alloy and a centra
